The President of India has appointed Chief Justice of Madras High Court Munishwar Nath Bhandari as Chairman of SAFEMA (Appellate Tribunal under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act, 1976 for a period of 4 (Four) years. Justice Bhandari whose parent High Court is the High Court of Rajasthan is presently serving as Chief Justice of Madras High Court and is set to retire on September 12, 2022. 

As per the sources, Office Order No. 241/2022 requires Justice Bhandari to take charge of the office of the Chairman of the Tribunal within 30 days from 08.09.2022 after submitting his medical fitness. 

The post of Chairman of SAFEMA is lying vacant since 22.09.2019 when the then Chairman Justice Sh. Manmohan Singh retired. Constituted in the year 1977, Justice Bhandari would be the 15th Chairman of the Tribunal. Falling under the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue, the Tribunal has its office at Loknayak Bhawan, Khan Market, New Delhi.

Learnt from the website of Madras High Court the profile of Justice Bhandari is as follows:-

"Born on 13/09/1960. Appointed as Judge of the High Court of Rajasthan High Court on Jul 5, 2007. Transferred to Allahabad High Court and took oath as Judge on March 15, 2019. Practised in the Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur and Jaipur, Central Administrative Tribunal, Jaipur and initially in Supreme Court in Constitutional, Civil, Service, Labour, Criminal and Arbitration matters and specialised in Constitutional, Service, Labour & Arbitration matters. Was Standing Counsel for Railways; Rajasthan Road Transport Corporation; Nuclear Power Corporation; State Election Commission; Rajasthan University; all Government Electricity Companies of Rajasthan; Jaipur Development Authority; Jaipur Municipal Corporation; Rajasthan Housing Board; Ganga Nagar Sugar Mills Ltd.; Rajasthan Agricultural University. Remained the Acting Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court from June 26, 2021 upto Oct 10, 2021. Transferred to Madras High Court and took oath as a judge on Nov 22nd 2021.

Performed the duties of the office of the Chief Justice as Acting Chief Justice from 22.11.2021 to 13.02.2022. Appointed as Chief Justice on 10.02.2022 and assumed the office of Chief Justice on 14.02.2022. "